Ontario Williams and Amanda Stover, chorus teachers at Putnam County Middle and High Schools, hosted their second combined chorus concert last Tuesday night.
The tradition of combining classes began in the spring during Williams’ first year of teaching. Both educators hoped it would increase interest in their chorus program as well as provide goals for students to reach. It was mutually beneficial since the high school students loved collaborating and setting an example for the younger students, while the middle-school students got a glimpse into the high school program.
About 50 students performed before a full house of family members and friends. Starting off the program, 8th-grade students performed Calypso Lullaby and That’s Christmas to Me,
with solos featuring Whitley Wooten and Addison Hutsell. After that, high school students took the stage asking any local veterans to stand to be recognized before singing Lift my Lamp and Someone to Watch Over Me. These songs were featured since they were unable to perform a Veterans Day concert.
Then the holiday songs began again, starting with the high school’s rendition of Christmas in about Three Minutes,
a medley of popular Christmas classics. The 6th graders scored some laughs with Please Don’t Sing Another Fa-la-la, while 7th-grade students gave performances of Noel Noel, Mary Sat a- Rockin’ and Grown-Up Christmas List, with solos by Jontevia Marshall, Gabriel Mendez and Abigail Ezzard.
Finally, the high school students sang Figgy Pudding and Have Yourself a Merry Christmas before all students were on stage to end the show with a rousing performance of Jingle all the Way, complete with a dance routine from the 8th graders.
Overall, the concert was a massive success. Williams and Stover said they could not be prouder of their students. They plan to continue to grow this program and improve student skills to better showcase their talents.
With more concerts to come early in 2023, follow them on Facebook at pchs.chorus.piano and @PCMSchorus for the latest updates.